Most businesses know the importance of hosting events to get their brand noticed by local patrons. It is an essential tool for offline marketing. What they may not realize is how much these events can help with online marketing as well.

The benefits of event marketing to help you establish a stronger online presence include:

How much an event helps your online presence depends on how big you make it and how much effort you put into it.

Build Quality Links

The quality of links to your website matters more than the number of links pointing to it. Hosting a local event is a fantastic way to get your business name out there and get links to it from quality, reputable sites. For instance, you can have your event mentioned in the online newspaper or city page with a link back to your page that gives the details about the event.

Just think of the number of people who will see your event mentioned that may not have heard about you otherwise. If it sounds interesting to them, they may share it on Facebook with their friends or tweet about it on Twitter. Make it visual and you may even end up on Pinterest or Instagram.

Make your event really big or important such as raising money for a charity and you may even get local coverage from the newspaper or radio or TV stations. They can post information about it beforehand on their sites and provide a wrap-up afterwards with a link that goes to your site. Include nearby businesses and you can mention them on your site and they can return the favor for even more links and publicity.

Get Social with Your Event

Ask for reviews on your event from attendees. Talk about it beforehand on your social networks, have someone post (Twitter/Facebook) during the event and follow up with questions and comments once it is over. If followers post on their own pages about your event, respond to them and thank them for the mention.

There are numerous ways you can use social media to enhance the online benefits you get from hosting an event. First, comment on relevant pages or ask the owner of the page if he or she will publicize your event. If it is for a charity or fundraising event, you should have no problem getting free publicity for it from other people/businesses on social networks.

Even a marketing event that is not charity-based can garner a lot of attention if it is free for the public, especially if you are giving away prizes or offering entertainment and fun for the community.

You can create an invitation to send to your followers for your event. When they respond, it shows up on their pages. You can even create a Twitter account, Pinterest board or Facebook page just for the event. Link it back to your main page to enhance your SEO while promoting your event.

This sort of strategy is particularly powerful for companies that sell commodity based products like insurance. Let’s face it, insurance is not an exciting industry. This is a powerful way to get the community to speak about your businesses and separate your company from your competitors. This creates your own “buzz” and encourages people to speak about you.

A local event hosted by your business can be a fabulous way to enhance your online presence. As more people look online to find local events they can attend, they are sure to notice yours and tell all of their friends. What better way can you enhance your brand’s reputation than by word of mouth in your community?